With Apologies to Margaret Mitchell

When she was finally able to go out again, Scarlett had Lou lace her into her stays as tightly as the strings would pull. Then she passed the tape measure about her waist. Twenty inches! She groaned aloud. That was what having babies did to your figure! Her waist was as large as Aunt Pitty’s, as large as Mammy’s.

“Pull them tighter, Lou. See if you can’t make it eighteen and a half inches or I can’t get into any of my dresses.”

In my world, Scarlett stopped having babies and turned to food and ceased trying to steal Melly’s husband. She had her stays custom made from the new steel plants located in Atlanta and Birmingham. It was the only material strong enough to pull her waist in to 37 inches and when she wore it Prissy would swear to her that “yas’m, yo’ sho’ look skinny.” Serves her right for treating Rhett so poorly.

5″x7″ Watercolor on lanaquarelle 140 lb rough (I tell you this because this paper is great and you should try it)